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Mexican cuisine is one of my favorites and I often find myself craving those flavours that I like so much. Last week the craving were getting stronger and I satisfied them on the weekend by making carnitas. Carnitas is pork that is traditionally braised in lard on low heat until it is falling apart tender and then the heat is increased so that the pork begins to get crispy on the outside. This combination of moist and tender pork with a slightly crispy outside is simply amazing! The only problem is that cooking the pork in lard does not sound too appetizing. As an alternative, the last time that I made carnitas I simmered the pork in salsa verde until it was falling apart tender and then I shredded it and roasted it in the oven until it was nice and crispy on the outside. I then mixed the pork back into the remaining salsa verde.
The
salsa verde carnitas
were really good but I recently came across a new method of making
carnitas
on
Homesick Texan
that intrigued me. This recipe called for braising the pork in water for the first few hours and then increasing the heat and cooking it until the water had evaporated leaving the rendered pork fat. The pork is then cooked in the rendered pork fat, effectively frying the outside of the pork until it is crispy. The pork is then shredded and ready to go. Although this would probably still not be the same as cooking it in lard, it sounded like a great compromise that would have a very similar results and I just had to try it.

This way of making carnitas was really simple, requiring very little effort and just a bit of patience. I added some spices to the liquid while the pork was simmering to add some aromatics and a touch of flavour. The carnitas turned out great! I left them in fairly large chunks and they were nice and crispy on the outside and moist and tender on the inside. What a great mix of contrasting textures. I will definitely be making carnitas like this again. I served the carnitas with tortillas,
refried beans
,
guacamole
and
pico de gallo
. I have been enjoying the carnitas all week and they have satisfied my Mexican cuisine cravings for now.

Carnitas

Servings: 6

ingredients

3 pound pork butt (cut into 2 inch cubes)

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1 cup of orange juice

3 cups of water

directions

Place everything in a large pot, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 hours.

Increase the heat to medium-high and boil uncovered until the liquid has evaporated and the fat has rendered, about 45 minutes, stirring a few times to make sure that the pork turns golden brown and crispy on all sides.

Yum, carnitas! I recently tried a new recipe that was very simple and delicious. Something about that small amount of brandy was like magic: http://verbatim.blogs.com/verbatim/2009/01/fingerlickin-good.html

As a fellow Texan and lover of Carnitas, one of things my recipe calls for is using chicken broth in place of the water. I cover the pork roast with chicken broth, add cumin and an onion and simmer for a couple of hours. Once done, I shred and place on a baking sheet, crisping it up in an oven for about 10 minutes with the broil setting. Yum Yum!!!!

I am visiting ur blog first time..sounds delicious...i love mexican food..i never tried preparing recipes at home..definitely gonna try it...i always have a rough time to find ingredients...finally i have found a great resource www.myethnicworld.com where i can pass great along as well.

Ooooh man, I want some carnitas! I used Homesick Texan's recipe as well, and was pleased with the results. I've also done it with chicken broth and liked that even better. What I'd really like to do now, though, is reach through the screen and gobble up the food you prepared. YUM!

I made these a couple of weeks ago for the first time. I cooked the pork in the crock pot in beer. I didn't fry it after though. it was good just the way it was, next time i will do it your way and see.. thanks!

I made this exact recipe yesterday for a casual dinner party I hosted. It was fantastic and received rave reviews!

I also made Lisa's (Homesick Texan) recipe for Borracho Beans (on her website as Pinto Beans Three Ways). My husband and I enjoyed a big bowl of leftover beans for dinner tonight and they were even better than last night.

Such a wonderful looking recipe! I always just season a pork shoulder roast and stick it in a 250 oven for 10 hours; when it has cooked enough to pull it apart (5 hours or so), I do so, and let the various bits crisp up. That way, no frying needed, and the fat drains off. But you don't get any added flavor.

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About Me

I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.